“…one of the most potent, if under recognized, guitarists on the post – Frisell/post – Scofield scene.” – Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times
“Will Bernard is one of the best – kept jazz – guitar secrets on the planet.” – Dan Ouellette, Billboard
Guitarist Will Bernard, a Berkeley, CA native and Brooklyn NY transplant studied guitar and piano from an early age with Dave Creamer, Art Lande and Julian White later developing and interest in classical music composition . He received a a degree in music from UC Berkeley where he studied with Andrew Imbrie and others.
In the 90’s Bernard recorded and performed with many projects under the direction of acclaimed producer Lee Towns end and worked with groups ranging from the Hindustani – influenced Jai Uttal to the political hip – hop group the Coup. The most commercially successful of these projects was the group T.J. Kirk (with Charlie Hunter) whose sophomore album “If Four Was One” on Warner bros. was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. Will made further inroads with the Stanton Moore trio which toured extensively and made 3 albums on Telarc and a Hal Leonard drum instructional video and book.
Bernard broke out as a bandleader in 1998 with the release of “Medicine Hat” (Antilles/Polygram), showcasing his expert chops and flair for funky, bottom – heavy soul – jazz. In 2011, Bernard released an organ trio record titled “Outdoor Living” to positive reviews with his own genre – bending style.
As a t ouring artist, Bernard has hit the road extensively with sin his own bands or as a member of the Stanton Moore Trio, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Groundation, and numerous other lineups. As a leader Bernard has performed at The Monterey, North Sea, SF Ja zz, Jazz a Vienne, Bumbershoot, Be – Bop and Brew, Montreal, Vancouver, Carribean Sea, and The High Sierra festivals,as well as clubs and festivals across the US, Europe and Canada. They have opened for Herbie Hancock and the Head Hunters, Jimmy McGriff, The Funky Meters, John Scofield, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Zigaboo Modeliste and the Charlie Hunter Quartet.
Will has performed and or recorded with Dr Lonnie Smith,Tom Waits, Ben Sidran, Dr John,Booker T.Jones, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, Butler/ Bernstein and the HotNine, George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Global Noize, Greyboy Allstars, Galactic, Medeski,Martin and Wood, Mike Clark, Idris Muhammad and others.